Wish Granters
by Elle H. Michaelson
Summary: Be careful what you wish for. Harry is an unhappy boy. So he makes a wish. Little did he know, sometimes wishes come true. This story is EXTREMELY AU, so if that isn't your thing, I suggest looking elsewhere. Warnings: (So far) Good Salazar, time travel, Abused Harry, Neglected Hermione, Slytherin Harry
1. Wish Granters

**Disclaimer:**

 **I own nothing that you recognize, and there will be parts in the future that I won't own even if you don't recognize it. But I'll be sure to point those parts out in advance.**

 **Introduction**

The Wish Granters were well known creatures in the Wizarding World. Every year, on the night of Yule, they would flitter from house to house, seeking out wizarding children. If a child made a wish when a wish granter was near, and the child had behaved well the year before, the Wish Granter would make their wish come true. Sometimes, when a child had not behaved during the year, the Wish Granter took it upon themselves to reverse the wish, and give the child the opposite of what they'd asked for. If a child asked for another pet, for example, their prized unicorn may disappear. If they asked for a new home, their old home may be destroyed by some manner of natural disaster. But some, rare as they may be, some children got far more than they had bargained for with their wish. If they were particularly good, a wish for a new home might mean their parents suddenly received a promotion at work and came into more money. A desire to have a sibling might mean a household filled with younger brothers and sisters to play with.

Many children wished on this night, and nearly all so-called "pure bloods" did. The Wish Granters paid no mind to such issues as blood purity when making their decisions. A pureblood was equally as likely to get their wish as a "muggleborn". The only quality that mattered to a Wish Granter was purity of heart. So when a pure child made a wish, no matter their status, the wish would be granted with a smile, a flick of the wrist, and a snap of the fingers.  
So when one little boy, heart as pure as the gold of Gringotts, made a very special wish, the Wish Granters gladly allowed it to come to pass. That wish? A simple plea, really. Something most take for granted. That little boy, little Harry James Potter, wished for a family. This is his story.


	2. The Boy in the Cupboard

**The Boy in the Cupboard**

Harry Potter was just your typical little boy. He had a typical family, with your typical life. That is, of course, what he was taught to say from a very young age. The reality was, that young Harry Potter had quite the troubled upbringing. He had lost his parents at the age of one, and was promptly given to his aunt and uncle who despised him. Harry slept in a cupboard beneath the stairs in their home, with barely enough room to turn around. He had turned the cupboard into a tiny sanctuary. He had stubs of candles littering one corner, and a mattress made out of old blankets that the family intended on throwing away. He made friends with the spiders in his little home, giving him someone to talk with. He had even found places to store things out of the way, shelves made from the staircase above; cubbies formed by loose wood under the mattress.

Harry knew that Christmas was coming closer, and he dreaded the day more than any other. Christmas was his family's favorite time to show him how unloved he really was. His cousin would receive a mountain of toys, many of which would be discarded within a week, and more clothes than he would ever wear. Harry, on the other hand, was almost guaranteed to receive an old sock, or a disheveled slipper. Harry had just turned nine in July, and he knew better by now than to complain about such presents. Complaining would only mean a scolding and, if he was particularly unlucky, a beating by his oversized uncle.

Thomas watched, as he did every year. As a Wish Granter, he was unable to interfere in any way unless the child made a wish. Thomas had visited the young boy many times throughout the years, and had taken a particular liking to him. The child was the epitome of what the Wish Granters looked for, but he had never once made a wish on Yule. He was kind to a fault, and did everything that was asked of him with only the occasional mild complaint. He completed his work on time every day, and took the time to edit it so as to not show up his cousin in school. He cooked breakfast, lunch, and dinner for his family, and was always polite while doing so. He made sure that the meals were cooked to everyone's taste, and waited for them to finish before eating anything himself.

In truth, Thomas was a bit disgusted over the treatment of the boy. He had petitioned to the leader of the Wish Granters for an exception, to grant the boy a wish he had not yet verbalized, but he had been rejected. So this year, Thomas decided that he would bend the rules, and remain by this child's side until dawn if necessary, to hear a wish be made. He had heard the boy make the wish he was waiting for many times, his ears in tune with the wishes of wizarding children throughout the year. Now he just had to wait until he could hear it tonight, when he would finally be allowed to grant it. Thomas had decided that he would return year after year if necessary, but eventually the child's wish would be granted.

At 1:07 AM on the 21st of December, Vernon Dursley woke his nephew with a well-placed kick against the door to his cupboard. Vernon was drunk again, and was ready to take out some pent up frustration on his nephew as he did every night that he stumbled into the house from a bar. "Get up, freak! I'm hungry, and the food isn't going to cook itself!" He shouted into the space.

Harry stood and brushed himself off the best that he could, grabbed his broken glasses from the shelf, and stumbled out of the cupboard. "I'm coming, Uncle Vernon." He replied. Then, under his breath, came the moment Thomas had waited for over the past 5 years, "I wish I had a family that cared." Harry closed his eyes, and allowed the wish to leave his system. He knew it would never happen. He would be forced to live here until he was 18, but then he would be free to escape. As he had so many times, he mentally reviewed the number of years, months, weeks and days left before that magical time would come.

He didn't know that his wish would come true. He didn't know that he would spend less than 24 hours with his family before everything changed. Even if he had known, he would have smiled, and continued with his work. That was just the type of boy Harry was. And that was why Thomas decided to make his wish even better than Harry could have thought of. Another young witch had made a wish nearby, asking for much the same thing as Harry had. And an old family, many years before, had wished for a son and a daughter. Perhaps it could work out for both of the children. Wish Granters didn't typically grant wishes to adults, but it was the icing on the cake that they would also be made happy. And to be fair, the Wish Granters owed them a great deal.

Thomas smiled as he released a jet of golden energy into the boy before fluttering away to do the same thing to the young girl. He considered taking the parents with him. But after some consideration, he decided against it. They were good people, and had raised a good daughter, but they didn't really care for her. They weren't mean to her, but they hadn't planned on being parents either, and had never quite accepted it. He did, however, throw a spell at them to encourage them to forget that they had a daughter and go on with the lives as they would have preferred to live them. They didn't deserve to have her taken away from them without any notice. But that didn't mean that Thomas couldn't alter their memories slightly. People really should be more careful with their wishes.


	3. The Wish is Granted

**The Wish is Granted**

Harry Potter woke up on December 21st to the sounds of shouting and banging. "What are you talking about? Abuse! I demand that you get out of my house right this instant!" His uncle was yelling.

Harry stuck his head out of the cupboard just in time for a policeman to catch his eye. "What have we here?" The tall man pushed past his uncle, "What's your name, lad?"

"Boy! I refuse to allow you to speak to these men. Go into the kitchen. Now!" His uncle was steadily turning purple in the face, a sign that Harry had learned to avoid.

"I'm sorry sirs, I cannot talk to you right now. I have to go make breakfast." Harry replied politely.

The two officers raised their eyebrows at one another. The young boy had clearly been trained well. But fortunately, they now had enough evidence to bring everyone to the station. Once alone, they were certain they could convince the child to open up. Christopher Jenkins stood up from where he had crouched to talk to the brunette, "Very well. Mark, can you call in some extra cars. I think we're going to have to take everyone to the station. The children in the home are both minors, so we can't leave them alone. Maybe put in a call to Human Services? See if they can send a child advocate ahead for us? I know it's the holidays, but try to get them down, ok?"

Marcus Daniels smiled grimly at the request, and returned to the patrol car to make the call. For Chris to make this decision so close to the holidays was a big deal. Normally, they would leave the situation alone until after the holidays were over. Obviously Chris had seen something that made him feel that waiting would be a bad idea. Mark waited outside in the car until two squad cars pulled up on the street. He motioned to the officers and they all went into the large house together.

"Ah. I see help has arrived! Well now, Mr. Dursley, you are under arrest for suspicion of child abuse and neglect. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defense if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence." Chris turned the man around and placed the handcuffs around his wrists as Marcus did the same to his wife.

"You have no right! No right to come into my home and treat me like a common criminal! Abuse! What nonsense. I have never once abused my son, just you ask him! And that boy is hardly abused. I demand that you remove these handcuffs at once, or you will hear from my solicitors!" Vernon continued screaming until he was forcefully pushed into a squad car. Rather than putting his wife in the car, she was taken to a second car. Between his booming yelling and her shrill screeching, the officers had decided that having one in a car would be distracting enough without adding in the second. The two boys, Harry and his cousin Dudley, were led to the third car. Dudley was arguing for his father's release, and was beginning to demonstrate that he was indeed the son of both adults. Harry, meanwhile, was oddly silent. Talking only seemed to increase the problem, so he decided that silence was best until he'd figured out the situation.

Down at the station, Vernon and Petunia Dursley were led to separate questioning rooms while the boys were seated in the waiting area. A kind, older woman walked up to Chris' desk. "It is the day before Christmas Eve! What was so bad that it couldn't have waited another few days? I swear, if this isn't an emergency, I will never let you live it down." The smile in her voice took away any of the heat that could have been in the words. Chris merely pointed to the wooden bench along the far wall, where two very different boys were sitting.

"You see them? We got a tip from an anonymous source telling us that a child was being neglected and abused in the home. We got there and initially all we saw was that whale of a child. As we were getting ready to leave, the scrawny one poked his head out of a _cupboard_. I got a good look inside of there while his uncle was berating me, and from the looks of it? He lived there. In the cupboard. If that isn't neglect, I don't know what is. I didn't want to risk them skipping town before we could check into it, so I brought them all downtown." Chris frowned. Seeing the small child in that small space would give him nightmares for a while. He fully intended on going straight home after work and sweeping his two children into his arms for a long hug.

"I see." Margaret said, suddenly serious. "Have either of the boys said anything?" She turned to examine them briefly. It was clear that there was a different standard of living between the two. She would never have guessed that they had come from the same residence had she not been told.

"Oh the big one has said plenty. I was tempted to put him into another room to keep from getting a migraine from his complaints and insistence on his family's innocence. I swear, he's done more to convict his parents than anyone else could have. He's been swearing up and down that his cousin is "a freak" who deserves everything he gets, and needs to "have the unnaturalness beaten out of him". And yes, those are quotes."

"Oh dear." Margaret sighed. Fortunately, they'd caught the family fairly early. The boy didn't look like he could be any older than 6 or 7 years old. But she still hated when they couldn't catch abuse before lasting damage could happen. "What are their ages?"

"Harry Potter, the smaller one, was born 31 July, 1980. Dudley Dursley, the larger of the two, was born 23 June, 1980. They are only a matter of weeks apart in age, but you would never guess it by looking at them." Chris complained. Abuse was hard enough to deal with, but the child looked severely starved. He really hated child abusers, and hoped they would find themselves a very special place in Hell after they died.

"1980? Are you sure? That would make both of them 9 years old! Harry was it? Well Harry looks like he's barely out of kindergarten, certainly not 9 years! Oh those people! I can't believe them! Treating a child like that…well…I'm just glad we got there when we did." Her eyes turned vaguely misty, before hardening to her task. "Right. Well, I had better get over there to talk with young Harry. If he's been enduring this for any length of time, he will likely prove to be a hard nut to crack." Margaret promptly turned on her heel and walked over to the pair of boys.

"Hello, ma'am. I am Dudley. Are you my father's solicitor? He's waiting in that room. They won't let me in, and don't seem to care that he's innocent. Can you imagine? Arresting him for treating _him_ " he nodded at his cousin, "like the freak he is?" Margaret observed the small boy as his cousin ranted. It was obvious that he was used to such treatment, and didn't even flinch at the name "freak".

"No, I am here to speak to Harry. If you would excuse us, Dudley, I'll bring him back quickly." She plastered a fake smile onto her face before turning a true smile on the other boy, "Now, Harry, can you come with me?" When he nodded, she reached out and took his small hand in hers. Margaret led the child to an empty office nearby and shut the door behind them. "Can I get you anything, lad? It's pretty cold out there, and I was going to get myself some hot chocolate to warm up a bit." She smiled at him again.

"If it isn't a bother to you, ma'am, I would love some! I don't usually get chocolate. And I've never had hot chocolate before! Is it good?" His eager face lit up at the prospect.

"I think that it is one of the best creations ever thought of." The woman replied before exiting the room once again. Once outside, she took a deep breath to calm herself, before moving towards the kitchenette she knew existed to get two steaming cups of chocolate. In his, she placed 9 small marshmallows, hoping that he would enjoy those as well. She returned with the cups and set one in front of him, waiting for him to take a small sip. Her face lit up when she saw the delight on his face, and she vowed to herself that he would never be placed with those awful people again. After he'd set the cup back on the table, she began talking to him kindly. "Harry, I want to ask you about your family. Is that ok with you?"

"Yes, ma'am. I am just a typical boy from a typical family. I am treated as well as can be expected given that my parents dropped me on their doorstep as a baby." He recited. It was the response he had been told to give many times by his aunt and uncle.

"Well that's very nice to hear." She smiled grimly. The coached response was not lost on her for a second. "Where do you sleep in the home?"

"I sleep in my cupboard, ma'am. They didn't have anywhere else to put me, so they gave me that space to sleep."

"I understand that your family had an empty bedroom on the second floor. Why couldn't you sleep in there?" Margaret began mentally taking notes. She never took written notes when talking to a child, she found that seeing a notepad made them clam up more often than not.

"Oh no, ma'am. That room isn't empty. It's Dudley's second bedroom. It's where he keeps all of his extra things that don't fit in his room. Can I tell you a secret?" He whispered.

Margaret smiled encouragingly at him, "Anything you want to tell me, you go right ahead."

"Sometimes when Dudley throws something in there, it's all broken you see, well sometimes I sneak in when he's at the park and I'll take something and fix it so I can play with it. I keep it all hidden though, so he doesn't try to take it back." He told her with a small frown, afraid that she would have him arrested for stealing. Instead, he looked up to see her smiling wider than ever.

"Well, that sounds like a great skill you have there, to go fixing broken toys. Do you mind showing me something you've fixed?"

Harry frowned, "I would like to, but all of my fixed stuff is hidden under my bed so it won't be taken. But if you have something that needs to be fixed I can show you!" His face brightened dramatically at being able to show off his skill.

"Well, let me see here." Margaret searched through her pockets before finding her broken tape recorder. It had broken the night before and she hadn't had time to get a new one today. "Here we are. It's a tape recorder. I'm afraid I dropped it rather hard last night, and it stopped working on me." She reached over and placed the device in front of him. Curious, she watched him first examine the item. She had expected him to ask for tools, so she was surprised to see both of the boy's hands erupt into light around the recorder. When the glow faded, she looked down to see the perfectly repaired device sitting between them.

Carefully, Margaret picked it up, hoping that her shaking hands weren't evident to the young child. She made a show of examining it, pushing the buttons to make sure they now functioned correctly before again placing it on the table in front of her. "I am quite impressed, young man. You fixed it so well that I can hardly tell it was broken to begin with!" She praised.

"Thank you, ma'am." He beamed at the compliment.

"Harry, I have to ask you some questions now, is that ok with you?" She asked again.

"Yes ma'am." He replied, significantly more at ease now that he had won her praise.

"Harry, do you like living with your relatives?"

"No. I know they don't like me, but sometimes I wish I could make them happy enough to treat me like Dudley. He gets all of the presents and food. And I get dirty socks and chores." He frowned. He knew, in the back of his mind, that he shouldn't be talking to her about this. His uncle would surely give him the belt later for talking so much.

"I see. Do they ever hurt you?" She tried to keep the encouraging smile on her face, but it was beginning to falter.

"Well, my uncle says he's just trying to beat the demon out of me. And my aunt says that I deserve it because I'm such a freak. So I guess they don't really hurt me, they're trying to hurt the demon. Does that make any sense?"

Margaret looked at him with a look of sheer frustration, "Yes, child. It makes perfect sense. Tell me, why do they think you have a demon inside of you?"

"Because of the things I can do. They don't know about the fixing. But sometimes I can make my hair grow right after it's been cut. And sometimes I end up on a roof after being chased by my cousin's friends. Once I even thought I heard a snake talking to me, but I didn't dare respond!"

By this point, Margaret had heard enough to remove Harry from the residence. "Let's take a trip back to your house so you can get your things, sound good? Your aunt and uncle will probably be staying the night here, so we'll find you somewhere nice to stay."

Harry nodded eagerly and took her hand once again. She led him out of the office and to Christopher's desk. "Chris, I am hereby removing Harry Potter from the care of the Dursley's indefinitely. I will locate a suitable placement for him and write the paperwork for you. I think it is safe to assume that the accusations are correct, and I, for one, will take great pleasure in seeing those two sent away." In truth, she also hoped that their son would be sent to a secure training centre, but she could not recommend that without talking further with him. Her priority right now was to get Harry safe, so talking with Dudley would have to wait. And based on what she'd seen him do, she'd have to contact the Others.

She had been informed of their existence so that she could report any of their children that she found. True, they used sticks to do things where this boy used his hands, but surely, he was one of them. In her 20 years of working as a child advocate, she had never once encountered a situation where she'd needed to report a child to them. Margaret sighed, what had begun as a perfectly average day had quickly deteriorated into a headache. A headache she didn't mind having, granted, but a headache nonetheless.

She drove the short distance to Number 4 Privet Drive in silence, debating how to go about the rest of the investigation. The door had been left unlocked by the police when they'd departed earlier, so entering the residence was fairly easy. "Care to show me around?" She smiled down at her young charge. He really was difficult to not like. She simply couldn't imagine those people treating him like they had.

"Well, this is the living room I guess," He gestured to the side, "I don't get to go in there though. He walked forward, "Here's the kitchen. I usually cook whatever they like. Are you hungry?" He perked up, "I can make you some lunch! I know you probably missed it because you were talking to me." The young voice trailed off.

"After we're done gathering your things, we'll both go to a restaurant for lunch, how does that sound?" She tried to boost his mood.

Harry again smiled at her, before leading her to his cupboard. "And this," he announced proudly, "is my room! See, I made a bed there, and I have shelves and even some lights! And there's a bunch of Dudley's old clothes in the corner so I have plenty to wear. And under my bed! I made cubbies like the ones they had at school so I can hide stuff. See?" He pulled the bedding aside and showed her the loose floorboards and the spaces underneath. "I have all kinds of stuff down here. I have a tape player, and some cassettes, and I have a couple games that I can play, with the volume off of course. And I even got some old books that he didn't want, so I can practice my reading. But I can't let my teacher know I can read better than Dudley. You know, because he has to be better than me." The little boy rambled on to her, ignorant of her growing disgust at his treatment. Imagine! Forcing a child to pretend to be bad in school! And that was once you got past the squalor he was living in. If the smell was anything to go by, those clothes and blankets hadn't been washed in at least a month, but probably more.

"Well, let's get all of your things, but I think you can leave the clothes and bed here. I'm sure we can find something nice for you to wear before we go find you somewhere to stay. Do you want a nice new outfit, Harry?"

"You mean, my own clothes?" He replied shyly.

"Yes. You can have your own clothes." She grimaced, hoping it passed as a smile.

"Can I take one blanket? Please?" He whispered, almost too quiet for her to hear. She really didn't want to bring any of the filthy bedding with her, but she agreed to his request nonetheless. To her surprise, Harry reached up onto one of his "shelves" and pulled out a worn, blue baby blanket. "It's what my parents wrapped me in. I found it in Dudley's second room one day and my aunt caught me with it. She screamed at me to never go in there again, but she let me keep it after telling me what it was." Harry explained in a small voice. Margaret decided then that if he couldn't be placed tonight, she was taking him home with her. She didn't necessarily want children, but she would gladly make an exception to see this child smile again.

"I think that's everything, yes?" She glanced around to be sure, "I don't know about you, but I am starved! Let's go get some of that lunch I promised you. And I know just the place!" Margaret quickly began the drive to her favorite restaurant in the area: The King's Head. It was part of a chain, but she privately felt that this was the best in the bunch. They were quickly seated, as this was one of their slower times of day. After a minute of looking at her menu, she realized that Harry was frowning down at his. "Do you know what you'd like?"

"I don't know…the only thing on here that looks familiar is the Sausage and Mash, but I don't really like that." He shrugged.

"Do you like chicken?" she replied softly.

"Yeah. I really like it when the Dursley's let me put the crumbs on the outside of it." He smiled up at her.

"Well then, how about the chicken tenders?" She pointed to the words on the menu. _How can this boy possibly smile so much after what he's been through? I would never have been able to handle it so well!_

"Oh! Is that what that says? I couldn't read the words." Harry blushed, ducking his head. Just then, a waiter came to take their order. Margaret made a quick decision and ordered a starter of Dorset Cheese Bites along with the meal. She liked them, and she was hoping that she could give Harry another first taste of something good. There was very little talking during their lunch. Margaret spent the time reviewing her mental notes to make sure she wouldn't forget anything when she had a chance to write things down. She hoped that Chris had called in another advocate to take care of Dudley, but she knew he probably hadn't. She was one of the few who were willing to work this close to the holidays, and it was only in urgent cases.

She again drove them in silence to the phone box she'd been told to go to, years ago, in case she ever stumbled across one of the Other's children. She got out of the car, telling Harry that she needed to make a quick phone call, before dialing the pre-arranged code into the phone: 2-4-4-5-3. She waited, then picked up the receiver. She heard a voice come on the other end of the line, "This is the Department of Magical Children, and how can we help you today?"

"Yes, I am Margaret Pritchard, I am a child advocate in Surrey. I believe I have taken one of your children away from their designated family's home under suspicion of child abuse and neglect."

"I see, Ms. Pritchard. Where is your office located and how long will it take you to get the child to there?" The voice suddenly sounded interested. There were very few registered children in Surrey, and even fewer that were with a "designated" family.

"My office is located in County Hall in Surrey. It will take us approximately one hour to reach my office." Margaret replied quickly. She wanted to get out of this phone box and to the child in the car as quickly as possible.

"Very well, Ms. Pritchard. I will send a representative to your location. They will be there around 2:00 if that is acceptable." That left two hours to get to the office, plenty of time even with traffic.

"I will see them then. Thank you." Margaret hung up the phone quickly and returned to the car. "Ok then Harry, let's get back to my office. I have some games you can play while I look for a place for you to stay, ok?"

"Ok. Thank you." The boy gave her his now familiar smile and turned to look out the window as they drove quietly to her office.

The Ministry's child advocate arrived at the designated building and quickly scanned for magical signatures. They rarely got calls from the muggles, but it never hurt to verify their calls before exposing themselves further. His eyes widened when his spell returned a powerful magic signature. He walked quickly into the building, wanting to meet the child immediately. If the child was indeed powerful, they would need to find him a home quickly so he could be appropriately cared for. After the Tom Riddle fiasco, they were under strict orders to remove any child with high magic levels from abusive locations as quickly as possible. Nobody wanted a repeat of that madman.

"Margaret Pritchard?" he called into the office, "I am Ted Amos, I am here from the Ministry. I believe you called us about a child?"

"Yes! I'm glad you've finally arrived. I was beginning to worry. Come with me, and I'll introduce you to him." She led him back into a small work room where a scrawny boy sat playing with action figures. "Harry, I'd like you to meet Mr. Amos. He's here to make sure you find a happy family to join, ok?"

"Harry, is it? I'm happy to meet you, Harry, but you can call me Ted. I hear you can do some pretty cool stuff, care to show me?" Harry turned to Margaret, as if asking advice. When she nodded, he grabbed one of the action figures he had accidentally broken, and held it between his hands. Ted watched as the hands glowed brightly and the action figure mended itself. He smiled and clapped his hands at the child's feat. No wonder the signature was off the charts. That was amazing! "Ok Harry, I'm going to go talk to Ms. Pritchard real fast and we'll get you out of here. I know just the family for you!"

He followed the woman out of the workroom and patted her on the shoulder briefly. "You've done a great thing by calling us."

"Well I suppose I should give you his file. I've spent the past couple hours arranging it, so hopefully you can make sense out of it. His full name is Harry Potter, born - "

"31 July, 1980." The man finished with a shocked expression.

"Yes, how did you know that?"

"Ma'am. Everyone in my world knows that name. Everyone knows that date as well. It's practically a national holiday! That child in there killed the biggest madman to ever walk our soil when he was barely a year old. Are you quite certain of the abuse, Ms. Pritchard?"

"Of course I am! Would I have taken him away if I thought he were in a happy, loving home?" Margaret said heatedly.

"My apologies, ma'am. I did not mean to imply that you were not doing your job. I only meant that he should have been protected and monitored by Headmaster Dumbledore. The Headmaster is Harry's magical guardian, and so should have been checking in on the boy a minimum of once each year. If Harry has been abused, as you say, then clearly the Headmaster is also guilty of neglect, something I never imagined possible. Can I get a written statement of everything that you have heard or seen during this investigation?" Ted turned suddenly serious. If proven correct, these charges could mean two muggles were sent to a wizarding prison, and the headmaster of one of the most prestigious schools in the UK was sent along with them.

"It is all contained in the file, along with pictures of the environment that I had the police send to me. Find him a good home, please? He deserves it after everything he's been through." Her eyes grew misty as Ted nodded and took the file. He stuck it into one of his coat pockets and it was magically sent to his desk to look at later.

"Thank you again, ma'am. And please, feel free to contact us if you discover any further information regarding his case. I will personally handle everything from here on out, so you can be assured that Harry will find a good home." Ted left the room and returned to the small workroom to gather Harry's things. "Ok, Harry, we're going to travel in a special kind of way. I want you to touch this pencil with your fingertip and we'll be gone."

"Can I say goodbye first?" His tiny voice spoke up for the first time around Ted.

"Yes, but make it quick. We need to get you to your new home before it starts getting dark outside." To his surprise, Harry ran out of the room and wrapped his arms around Margaret's legs, mumbling a thank you before running back to him. Without waiting another second, Harry touched a finger to the pencil. The jerk behind his navel caught him off guard, but he managed to stay standing when he finally landed on solid ground again.

Harry looked around curiously at his new surroundings. He was just starting to accept that he had been moved to this place seemingly by magic, and that there were paper airplanes flying all around the office, when a strange man walked up to them. Mr. Amos seemed to notice as well because he came to a sudden stop in the hallway. "Can I help you, sir?"

"Yes, you can. I am here to take custody of young Harry here. I believe you will find that these papers explain everything." The man handed Ted a thick packet of papers.

After giving the pages a cursory glance, he finally nodded. "Very well. I will look at these more in depth this afternoon, but they appear to be in order. Harry, do you have everything?"

"Yes, sir." Harry said warily. This new man did not appear as friendly as Ted was. His face appeared to be fixed into a permanent scowl, and his black eyes shined with distaste.

"Harry," the young man addressed the boy softly, "You can call me Cedric. I am going to take care of you along with a young lady who was abandoned this morning. I promise you, nothing bad will happen to you ever again." Harry was confused. The man's face said he was mean, and angry. But his words insisted the opposite.

"Sir?" Harry asked timidly. Seeing the man motion to continue, Harry asked, "Why do you look so angry?" Harry jumped when the man burst into loud laughter.

"I apologize for startling you, young man. I do not intend to look angry, and certainly not with you. But this is a serious matter, and I am angry, but as I said, it is not towards you. I am angry with the people who were supposed to be taking care of you who are now on their way to jail for mistreating you. Your cousin will also be taken from them, and is likely to be sent to a foster family or a boarding school to be paid for by your guardians' incomes and belongings.

"I don't understand, sir. Why do so many people care what is happening? It's my family, that's how they've always treated me." Harry shrugged.

Cedric knelt in front of him, "Don't you say that again, young man," he said softly, the tone taking the sting out of the words, "You are a wonderful child, and they should have treated you like a prince. Instead, they treated you as a servant. You have every right to be angry at them as well. But until you realize that, I'm sure there are plenty of people willing to be angry for you." Cedric stood up and offered his hand, "Now then, are you ready to go meet your new family?"

Tentatively, Harry nodded. Not ready to commit to anything yet. He grabbed his bag with his things in it and then took Cedric's hand. Without any further warning, Harry felt himself being squeezed, as though through a small tube and then re-appeared with a "pop" in the center of a small kitchen. A bushy haired brunette poked her head around a corner and he waved shyly.

"Right then. I'll get us something for dinner and then we can go meet the family." Cedric clapped his hands briefly before turning to begin making a quick meal.

"I'm sorry sir, I thought the family was here?" Harry asked.

"Oh no, my boy! They are quite a distance away. We will rest here for now and then later I will take you to them. Don't worry, they are a very nice family. They have been trying to have children for years with no success. I am certain that they will love you as soon as they meet you."

"Can you tell us anything about them?" the bushy haired girl asked bravely.

"Well, they are both teachers at a boarding school. They are two of the nicest teachers there, in fact. The students all love them and their classes. They are absolutely brilliant, and will gladly help you both in whatever studies you find interesting. They each have their own homes that they spend time at. You will most likely spend the winter vacations at your new father's home, and the summer months at your mother's. I understand that both of you have your own parents here, but it is my understanding, Harry, that you have no memory of yours. Is this correct?"

"Yes, sir. I have been told about them. How they were drunks who crashed their car and I was the only survivor. It never quite made sense to me, but it's the only explanation I've ever been given." Harry frowned. The story his relatives had told him never quite rang true for him, but to question them would only have led to being locked away for days without food.

"Well that's not true, but I can explain that to you later, if you wish. And you, my dear, your parents left you, didn't they?'

"Yeah. I came downstairs this morning for breakfast and all of their things were gone. I ran when I saw movers coming to get the furniture too. Thankfully they'd left some food in the ice box, so I was able to eat before I ran. That reminds me, how did you find me?"

"Ah, that is the question, is it not? Have either of you heard of magic before?"

The girl scoffed, "Who hasn't? I don't see how some dumb magic trick could have led you to me though."

"It was not a mere trick." Cedric pulled out a wooden stick and waved it, causing fire to erupt on the stove. Another wave sent a knife to begin chopping vegetables before adding them to the pot filling in the sink. Carefully, he put the stick away before turning to put the pot onto the fire.

"Wh-what was that?" Harry stammered.

"That, my boy, was magic. And you will see plenty more of it soon. Your new parents are quite skilled in all manners of magic." Cedric grinned at the shocked look on the girl's face. "Now then, Harry, can you set the table? After that, she can show you where the loo is so that you can wash up for dinner. It should be ready soon."

"Yes, sir." The boy replied politely. Cedric merely sighed. A lifetime of abuse had led to this child being so polite. Most other children would have broken under that stress. Yes. He was definitely the correct choice for his employers. When Harry had finished, he was led off by the girl. "I'm sorry," he began, "I forgot to ask what your name is."

"That's ok," she answered brightly. At least he seemed to have decent manners. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. "I'm Hermione Gr-. Well, I guess my last name doesn't matter. My parents left me, and I guess we're both being adopted. So maybe I should just forget what my name was." She shrugged with just a hint of tears forming in her eyes.

"Yeah. Maybe you're right." He replied sullenly. He'd never expected to be adopted. He hoped Cedric was right. He really wished that things could go right for him soon.

"Ok kiddos, you ready for food?" Cedric called, interrupting Harry's thoughts of a dream family. One that loved him and supported him. And most of all, one that he could love in return. The two children made their way to the table and were astonished to see three bowls of steaming hot soup, with soft crusty bread to the side and large glasses of what appeared to be juice at each place setting. "Go ahead and have a seat. It isn't much, but it should hold you until we get there. It is a fairly long journey. The juice will taste like whatever you like best. It is a magical food, and is not as common here as you might think it should be. Many witches and wizards - magic users - drink pumpkin juice. But it isn't one of my favorite things, so I came up with this recipe instead."

The food was delicious. The soup was warm, but cool enough to eat without burning their tongues. After being made in such a quick time, Harry had been sure that it would be bland. But instead, it was rich in flavors of spices, vegetables and garlic. There was no meat in the soup. When he asked, Hermione informed him softly that she was a vegetarian and had never eaten meat in her life. Harry merely shrugged and continued with his meal. After they were finished, Cedric stood from the table and beckoned them closer. "We will be traveling in a method similar to what the magic users here use: the fireplace." He explained, "I will throw some blue powder into the fireplace, call out some words, and then one of you will step in. It will take you to another place. After the first has gone, I will do it again for the second, and then a last time for myself. Do you both have all of your things?" Both nodded. "Wonderful. Who wants to go first?"

Harry shakily raised his hand. Cedric smiled at him and motioned him over to the fireplace where he took a small pinch of the blue powder and threw it into the flames. "Transferre ad tempus per anno CXXX Hogwarts!" He cried, before pushing Harry firmly but gently into the flames. As soon as Harry was in, the room seemed to spin out of control. The spinning continued for at least 30 minutes before he felt himself beginning to slow down. Distantly, he realized that he had held his eyes shut for the entire trip, and found himself wondering what it would have looked like with his eyes open. He risked a glance, and found himself passing by numerous fireplaces, being able to quickly see into other homes before they whirred past. After another 30 minutes of staring, Harry found himself getting tired and closed his eyes again. Fifteen minutes later, he felt the spinning stop and he was pushed gently out of the fire and into a small room he'd never seen before. A minute later, Hermione was standing next to him. Two minutes later, Cedric stepped gracefully from the flames and opened his arms widely. "Welcome, to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, year 980."


	4. What!

**What?!**

"Well? What are we waiting for, children? Let's get out of this tiny room and find your parents, shall we?" Cedric was inwardly laughing at the looks on the children's faces.

"Sir, did you say that it's the year 980? That would make us over 1000 years in the past! That can't be possible. Time travel can't happen!" Hermione finally exclaimed. Surely this was merely a joke.

"I assure you, it is true. When you step out of this room, you will have proof enough. In addition to seeing magic, you will notice that people here speak differently than we do. I have a potion here somewhere," he dug through his pockets, "Aha! Take this now. It will make it easier for you to understand what is being said to you, and will change your language to match the others'. You will probably need to continue taking this for at least one week until you are used to the changes. I'm afraid the taste isn't good, but it goes away quickly." He handed a small vial to each of them before walking to the large door on the opposite side of the room. "This room is reserved solely for floo travel, and is separated by a magic shield from the rest of the castle. Now then, let's go meet your parents." Without another word, Cedric waved his want in a complicated pattern and opened the door.

Harry and Hermione silently looked at one another before clasping hands and walking through the shimmering exit. The hallway on the other side of the door was truly massive. Suits of armor stood along each side, as though standing guard to defend against intruders. As soon as they had crossed the threshold, the door silently swung shut and a lock clicked into place. As it did, the suits of armor appeared to relax their stances slightly, as though knowing that the threat had passed. Cedric looked back at them and smiled at the clasped hands. The two were already acting like siblings, which would make this whole thing easier on everybody. He hadn't told his employers when he would arrive with the children, only that he would. They had agreed to forego their usual trip to his family's home for this holiday to await Cedric's arrival.

Cedric led the two to what appeared to be a large dining hall filled with small, round tables with enough room for six people to sit around them comfortably. The room was dotted with people wearing strange dress-like garments eating quietly or talking in hushed whispers amongst themselves. One pair of people glanced up at the arrival and jumped to their feet. "Cedric!" The woman called, "are these the children you promised to find?" She looked at them longingly.

"Indeed they are, madam. May I introduce you to Harry and Hermione? Harry was taken from his relatives this morning," here he gave her a glance saying that he would explain later before continuing, "and young Hermione here ran from her home after being unfortunately left there by her parents." He placed a hand gently on each of their backs and pushed them lightly forward to meet the woman. She was wearing an open fronted plum colored robe with gray pants and a deep green jumper underneath.

"Hello children. I am Beatrice. My husband over there is Robert. Why don't we leave this space so that we can talk in private?" As she spoke, Robert walked shakily over to the arrivals and extended a hand to each of them. Hermione took the offered hand, while Harry reached for Beatrice's. The two adults guided them through the hallways and to a large suite of rooms where they obviously lived during the school term. "Has Cedric told you why you were brought here?" Beatrice asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Harry spoke softly, "he said that we were to be brought to a new home. Are you to be our parents then?" His voice was hopeful but wary. Beatrice made a mental note to ask Cedric about Harry's background that made him so shy around others.

"If you would like that, we would be honored to be known as your parents. But before that, we should get to know each other better. I would hate for you to decide to stay with us before knowing more about who we are." She smiled softly. She dearly hoped that these children could be the answer to their prayers. They had been led to believe that there would only be one child, but were more than open to welcoming two to the family. "As I said, I am Beatrice and this is my husband Robert Christianson. We are scholars here at Hogwarts. I teach transfiguration, a beginning level class about turning things into other things. Robert here teaches a beginning level scrying class where he teaches students to be able to find lost things. We teach only two of 24 available courses here. May I ask how old you two are?"

"I am nine years old, ma'am." Harry answered respectfully, vaguely surprised when Hermione answered the same way.

"Well then, you are just over the age that we typically begin instructing students, but only because you did not start at the beginning of term. But that is not a problem. We have students enter into their schooling all the way up until the age of 11 with no difficulties. But we can explain the school later. What else would you like to know about us?"

"Why did you want us?" Hermione asked boldly. It was clear that she was far less shy than her 'brother' at this point. Although with proper treatment, perhaps he would also emerge from his shell.

"That is a very long story, but for right now, I will simply tell you that we are unable to have children of our own. Robert was cursed as a child so that he may not have children of his own. We both desperately wished that we could have a child to love and raise. And to our joy, it appears that fate has brought us two to cherish. Believe me, we want nothing but your happiness. And if you would prefer to return to where you came from, we will allow it without question." Her voice broke on this, revealing her fear that one - or both - of them would ask to leave.

"What are the rules, sir?" Harry quietly addressed Robert for the first time.

Robert looked stunned. He had yet to fully process what was happening, that his deepest wish was coming true. But if this little boy was to be his, he should speak to him at some point, "The rules?" he asked to give himself a moment, "They are quite simple, lad. I simply request that you give respect to your elders, and try your best at your studies. Preferably, you also need to follow the school rules, mainly that you are respectful to your fellow students, and that you complete assignments on time. If you don't like something, let us know so we can address it. If you are worried about something, come to us. Same with when you are scared. We cannot fix something if we do not know what to fix." He answered in what he hoped was a kind tone.

"Do we need to cook for you, or clean?" Harry asked again softly. What would these people require of him to stay here? They seemed nice, and he wanted to make them happy so he could remain.

"We have servants to do those things for us," Beatrice cut in, "but if you can help them by not leaving clothes all around your rooms, and saying 'please' and 'thank you' when addressing them, that would be lovely. The only chores for you to complete will be your assignments. I assure you that you will have plenty of work from school to occupy your time." She smiled. The students of Hogwarts were often heard quietly grumbling about the amount of study required. But that was one of the reasons Hogwarts was considered the premier school for young witches and wizards in the kingdom.

"What are punishments like?" He chimed in again before Hermione could ask another brash question.

"Punishments? We prefer to call them 'consequences'. It depends on what has happened. For example, if you are throwing things you will be asked to clean them up and apologize. If you are being mean to another student, you will write them an apology letter and hand it to them personally. If you are being disrespectful to adults, you will be asked to sit quietly until you are ready to begin working again. Does that make sense? We do not believe in hitting a child for a mistake. You simply need to learn from it to not repeat it." Robert answered cautiously. This boy was certainly asking some strange questions. He could see his wife tensing in front of him with each new query, and found himself becoming increasingly horrified at the thoughts that were coming to his mind to explain Harry's actions. Surely he hadn't been so mistreated as to believe he could be beaten for a mistake?

"I will stay." Harry declared happily. These people seemed nice, and appeared to be honest with what they expected from their children. They certainly sounded like they would be better than his relatives, although, to be fair, anybody would be better than them. He smiled when he saw Beatrice's face light up, and Robert sag his shoulders in relief. Yes, they would make wonderful parents.

"I will as well. I can't wait to learn all of these new things!" Hermione exclaimed to their amusement.

"Do you mind if we ask a few questions about you two? Not that it will change our decision to adopt you, but it will give us an idea about what you like and dislike." After the children nodded, Robert began, "What do you two do for fun?"

Harry merely stared at him blankly, while Hermione began discussing reading everything she could get her hands on. While she continued rambling about not liking other kids her age very much, Beatrice watched Harry carefully. Hermione finally wound down, deciding that telling them too many details about the history books she favored might be a bad idea. "Harry," Beatrice asked, "What do you like to do?"

"I fix things sometimes and play with them after my cousin breaks them." He whispered. "I can do things with my hands and they get fixed quickly. I guess it's magic. I thought it was just something special I could do. I can show you if you want." His voice picked up at the end. He liked being able to show people what he could do now. Especially when it wouldn't end in a punishment.

"I'd love to see you fix something. Let me grab something and then you can demonstrate for us, ok?" Harry nodded quickly while Beatrice stood up and grabbed a necklace that had broken two days prior. She'd been meaning to get it fixed by the metal teacher, but hadn't gotten around to it yet. She handed the necklace to the young boy and stared in fascination when his hands glowed briefly and then held a perfectly repaired necklace, showing none of the previous damage that even a master metalsmith could hide perfectly. "This is amazing, Harry!" she exclaimed, "And it certainly is a unique gift. I know it is magic, but I have never seen anything like this before." Harry smiled, pleased that he could make this woman - his mother? - so happy.

"Harry," Robert began, "we'll have to talk about this talent of yours later. If you're ok with it, would you mind if we brought in a friend to watch you fix something? I promise you, you aren't in any trouble," he continued when he saw Harry tense, "but I am curious about what you are doing and if others can do the same." Harry nodded, relaxed after the explanation.

"How about another question?" Beatrice asked them, "What are your favorite subjects in school?"

"I love everything," Hermione explained. "I love learning about why things work and what has happened in the past. Math and reading have always been my top subjects and I'm pretty good at writing too. My teachers always gave me top marks in everything in school."

"I really like science," Harry told them, "watching things happen and knowing that I did it is really cool. I've never been allowed to be good in school though. I wasn't supposed to be better than my cousin. So I don't really know if I'm good at anything." He shrugged like he was discussing nothing more important than the weather.

"Well, then we're just going to have to explore a little bit and find out what you're good at!" Beatrice chimed in, a little too loudly. Some of the things her new son has to say we're a little troubling. "Now, it's been a long day for both of you. Let's get you to bed, and then tomorrow we'll travel to the family manor for the adoption ritual." She took their hands and led them through a door to a long hallway. At the end, there were two doors. "Harry, you can sleep in this room," she opened a door to reveal a large suite done in shades of green and blue. "And Hermione, you will be in this room." She opened the door across the hall to see another, almost identical room in shades of lavender and pale green. "If you need us, we're in the room on the other end of this hallway." She smiled at them gently before turning and walking back to the living room. She had just sat down when she was startled by a blur of black that practically jumped into her arms.

"Thank you for saving me…mum" Harry squeaked before repeating the gesture with Robert.

"He's a sweet kid, isn't he?" A voice came from their doorway 20 minutes later. They had sat in silence following the "mum and dad" incident. They had been hopeful that eventually they would earn those titles, but neither of them had really thought it would happen quickly. They'd prepared for a long push to hear the names come from their children's mouths.

"What happened to him?" Beatrice asked quietly.

"He was treated like a servant. By his own family. They beat him if he 'stepped out of line', I believe is how they phrased it. He hasn't known what a family is since he was one year old and his parents were murdered. He has a destiny in his other life, but for right now, he needs a family. He can go back to his old life when he's older. But he needs to learn everything you can teach him. Hogwarts in his time is much less…accepting. I can't tell you much, but I can tell you that he'll learn far more here than he could ever learn in his timeline." Cedric sighed, "treat him like your own. Don't pity him. He seems to be an empath, at least a little bit. He'll know if you're pitying him, and I don't know how he'd react to it.

"Hermione, on the other hand," he continued, "was raised by two good people who never wanted to be parents. She knew what it was like to have two people who took care of her, but not what it felt like to be loved. She wished for a brother, or someone who could love her, and that is what I gave her. Her parents abandoned her to go live their lives without the 'burden' they had accidentally created, and she was fortunate enough to be picked up by social services before she slipped through the cracks. She needs to know what it feels like to have parents who not only care _for_ her, but ones that care _about_ her."

"Those poor children," Robert breathed out, "We will do the adoption ceremony first thing in the morning. Do you think we should do the one that makes them truly ours, or the one that merely bonds us?"

"Go for the one that makes them yours. Young Harry will know nothing different. He'd love to know that he's as much yours as if you gave birth to him. Hermione might know something is different when her memories of her past life begin to fade, but I'm pretty sure she won't mind too much. They'll be replaced by happy memories. Memories of a family that loves her. She should be ok with it if you explain it to her." Cedric said confidently.

"Good." Beatrice nodded, "They are ours and I want them to know that that won't change no matter what happens. We'll get Harry prepared as much as we can. And Hermione will be prepared right alongside him. Siblings help each other. Especially twins. And if that is what they are to be, then they will stand together in whatever is coming."

With that said, the Christiansons bid Cedric a good night and went to their own sleeping quarters to prepare for the following day. It would certainly be busy. They had an adoption ceremony to perform, shopping to do, and introductions to make. Yes, it would be a very busy day, indeed.


	5. The New Life Begins

**The New Life Begins**

The next morning at dawn, Beatrice quietly crept into Harry's bedroom while Robert did the same in Hermione's. With a wave of her wand, the lights in the room slowly brightened, and she saw Harry begin to shift in his bed, moving slowly toward wakefulness. "Harry?" She called softly, "Harry, it is time to wake up, son. We must go soon to the manor to get ready for the ceremony."

Harry groggily climbed from his bed, smiled at her, and got dressed in his clothes from the previous day. She frowned at the clothes he was wearing, seeing how dirty and baggy they looked. They were definitely getting him new clothes today. "Mum?" he asked, "will the ceremony hurt very much?"

"No, son," she said, tears coming to her eyes at the title, "We'll have to make a small cut on your hand, but it shouldn't hurt too badly. And it's a quick ceremony, so it'll be over soon."

"Ok. I can handle a cut. I hope Hermione will be ok with it." Once dressed, she led him out into the living room where they were met by Hermione and Robert. Hermione looked as sleep rumpled as he felt. "You ok, Hermione?" he asked his soon to be sister.

"Yeah. I just hate waking up early."

"Well come along then. We need to be at the manor shortly." Robert led them to the floo room they had used the previous night and threw a pinch of green powder into the flames. He called out "Christianson Manor" and stepped in, only to disappear in a swirling motion. Harry stepped up and repeated the gesture, determined to keep his eyes open on this trip. He was glad he did. It was fascinating to see all of the different rooms he passed, and before he knew it, he was stepping out into a small, dark room. "Step away now, we have to make room for the others." Robert instructed.

As soon as Harry had moved away from the fireplace, Hermione appeared and stumbled out, followed closely by Beatrice. Robert led them quickly through the manor, barely giving them a chance to look around before they were swept away into another room. After five minutes of walking, they found themselves in a large stone room with strange markings on the floor and an obsidian altar in the center. "The ceremony is pretty simple. We each make a small cut into our right hand, and place it against the stone. Once everyone is touching the stone, say, 'My blood is your blood and our family is strong'. We'll repeat it three times and then remove our hands from the stone. I want to warn you both, this might hurt. After this ceremony you will be our son and daughter as though we had given birth to you ourselves. This means that there may be some changes to how you look as your bodies change to become our children's. Nobody has done this with older children before, so we're not really sure what to expect. But if you have changed your minds, now is the time to say so." Both stood firm. It was time that they had a family.

The ceremony was quick, and punctuated by the excited cheers of the residents of the castle following the proclamation of its completion. The stone sent out a mass 'obliviate' ensuring that the two children were recognized by all as having been born to the powerful couple. More slowly this time, Robert took the 'twins' on a tour of the castle. The building was truly massive, the twins discovered. There were two separate dining halls, one for family and one for parties, along with a grand ballroom and a large study on the first floor. The second floor contained all of the guest rooms - all 20 of them. The third floor was for family only, and it was explained to them that without family blood or invitation, nobody was able to access this floor.

The twins were shown to their rooms, where they were told that they could redecorate if they wished. Harry was shown to a room done in blues and cream with deep black woods. Hermione had a room similar to her other room, done in shades of purple and grey. Each room had an adjoining sitting room area - to be used for homework until they grew older - and a large bathroom that could easily hold 10 people within its boundaries. Harry decided to keep his room the way it was, it was significantly better than what he was used to already. Hermione, however, chose to have her room redecorated into greens with ebony wood.

The group next went to the family dining room where they were immediately greeted by a small creature with large ears and tennis ball shaped eyes. "What can Tirly be getting for the Masters?" It asked in a squeaky voice.

"I think we would all appreciate some breakfast, Tirly. Let's do a full spread today to see what the children enjoy, ok?" Robert requested in a gentle voice.

"Sir…I mean…Dad," Harry smiled at the title, "what was that?"

"That, Harry was a house elf. They are wonderful creatures who live to serve. Our family has a team of house elves, roughly 30 in all, that staff each of our properties. This is the main manor, but we have a summer home as well that we will take you to in June, as well as various other properties for vacations and such. Don't worry," he assured them, "you will quickly become accustomed to your new lives. After breakfast we will call in our resident seamstress so we can get new clothes for each of you. While I am unsure what they wear where you come from, those clothes will make you stand out like sore thumbs, I'm afraid."

Harry looked down at his clothes. They were the first new clothes he'd ever owned and he was quite proud of them. But compared to what his new parents were wearing, it was clearly not the current fashion. He sighed at the loss of his only things before cheering up at the prospect of even more new things.

Hermione, meanwhile, was having an entirely different dilemma. She knew these people had adopted her, but she still had the memories of her birth parents. Was it ok for her to call these people 'mum' and 'dad'? Would that be disrespecting her roots? But then again, her parents had never _really_ wanted her, so maybe these two had more claim to that title. She wasn't sure what to do, and it was bothering her. "What should I call you?" she finally asked.

"Well, if you'd like you can call us mum and dad. Or you can call us by our given names. It is my hope - our hope - that you will someday consider us your parents. The ceremony will tie us together in blood, but only you can decide when we are united as a true family. Due to the ceremony, you will most likely begin to show traits from us instead of your birth parents. Your hair might get a bit darker and straighter, you might grow a bit taller than you would have or be shorter depending on how tall your parents were. We'll just have to wait and see. But because of those changes, others will likely recognize you as our children, even if they've never met you before."

"Ok…mum" Hermione stuttered. It would take some getting used to, but she had decided to give it a try. Calling them 'Robert' and 'Beatrice' sounded so wrong to her. She had thought it would sound odd to call this virtual stranger 'mum', but for some reason it felt right. _Must be the ritual,_ she decided. She was rewarded with a big smile for her efforts, which sent butterflies swarming in her stomach. _Definitely worth it._

The seamstress came into the room a few minutes after they had finished their breakfast. The meal was excellent and even Hermione enjoyed trying all of the new foods. The seamstress quickly took their measurements, frowning over the clothes they were wearing. "I will have a full wardrobe made in a week, my lord. Until then, I can make a few outfits so they have something to wear."

"That would be lovely, Anna. I greatly appreciate your services. As always, you will be handsomely rewarded for your efforts." He bowed slightly to the woman, making her smile broadly. Her lord was one of the better ones in the region. It was one of the reasons that he inspired such loyalty in his subjects. In fact, the only complaint anyone ever had was his insistence on teaching at a school so far away, leaving his manor and grounds behind. Fortunately, the designated supervisor was a kind, caring man.

Finally finished getting their errands finished at the manor, the twins were led back to the school to take their entrance exams. The exams lasted the rest of the day, and by the end the two children were drained. They had both scored at the beginner level in each of their subjects and would be entered into the classes beginning after the Yule break. The tests had covered each of the core subjects and two others: Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, History, Herbology, Defense, Runes, and Magical Theory.

The remainder of the winter break was spent with the new family getting to know each other. Harry and Hermione discovered that they both had a deep love of learning, although Hermione was more apt to demonstrate it. Two days before the start of term, Harry was discovered to have a peculiar talent: he could speak to snakes. The family had been walking in the castle during a storm when they had accidentally stumbled across one of the castle's snakes guarding the dungeons. Harry had reacted quickly to soothe the serpent when he began spitting at Hermione who had nearly stepped on him. _Humans should not be here! Master said I was to protect this corridor and I will._

 _Please! She didn't see you. We didn't mean to disturb your area, it will not happen again. Please do not harm my sister._ He had hissed urgently to the creature.

 _You speak! I must tell my master. You will stay right here. Do not move human or I will bite you next time I see you._ The snake quickly turned and slithered back down the darkened hallway.

"Harry?" Robert asked curiously. He'd only known one parselmouth before, and he was most likely working down that hallway. It was well known that when Salazar was working it was dangerous to interrupt him. "We should probably leave here before your new friend returns."

"No, dad. He said to stay here or he'd bite me. I think he was joking, I don't think his master would let him actually bite me, but I'd rather be safe and not go anywhere. He seemed more upset that we were in the area he was guarding than that I can speak to him. But he did say he was going to get his master whoever that is."

"That, young man, would be me." Came a voice from down the hall. Stepping into the light, Harry made out a tall man with black hair and a trimmed, thick beard. He was wearing emerald green robes covered in splotches of some wet substance. "I have been told that you can speak to my friend Stephes here?"

"Yes, sir. I didn't mean to interrupt your work." Harry replied timidly. To say that this man was indimidating would be an understatement.

"There's no reason to be worried, child. I will not harm you." The man said with a small smile, _Can you truly understand me?_

 _Yes, sir. Should I not be able to?_ Came the curious response.

"Well Robert, Beatrice! Care to introduce me to this young man?" Salazar turned from the child.

"He is our newly adopted son, Harry. We are sorry to have disturbed you, Headmaster. We will leave you to your work." Beatrice placed her hand lightly on Harry's back as though to guide him away.

"I do need to return to my potions unfortunately, but bring him to my quarters after dinner. I would like to talk more with the lad. I was unaware that any other lines had my family talent, and he does not resemble my family in anything more than the hair color."

"Yes Headmaster," Robert bowed his head in awe. He'd never heard of one of the headmasters taking a personal interest in one of the students, much less a first year student. The headmistresses did on occasion, but even that was rare. He quickly led his family away from the corridor and back to the family's apartment. "Harry, why did you not tell us you could speak to snakes?" He asked gently.

"I didn't know, sir. Does it make me a freak?" He whispered back.

"Certainly not! It is a highly prized talent, but it only shows up in the Headmaster's family for some reason. Do you know anything about your birth family?"

"No, just that they were mean to me. But my parents died when I was a baby. My uncle said my father got drunk and killed himself and my mum and almost killed me, but I don't know if I believe him."

"Ok. Why don't you go rest until dinner? Your mum and I need to talk about some things." He shooed the children away. When he heard the door shut, he turned to his wife. "What does this mean for us?"

"It means nothing! He is our little boy and Lord Slytherin will have to accept that we got to him first. Let's wait to see what Salazar says tonight before we make any decisions. If nothing else, we should consider appealing to Salazar's son for tutoring so that Harry can learn everything he can. Leaving a talent untrained can be dangerous, you know that. Maybe a snake for a late Christmas present?"

"I can ask Sylvan if he knows where to find a suitable snake companion. I am not worried about the Headmaster attempting to take Harry, he knows how much we have longed for children of our own. I am more worried about what this will mean for Harry. He has an instant aversion to anything that makes him different, this is just another thing to add to that list."

"Well, we need to assure him that it doesn't make him any different. He is still our baby boy. He is still a student here. Nothing has changed, we just learned about a new talent that he happens to have. This doesn't change anything, Robert. We just need to make sure that Harry realizes that."

Following a subdued dinner, the group of four made their way to the dungeons to see the Headmaster. "Hello!" he cried when they knocked on his door.

"Lord Slytherin, I hope you don't mind that we brought our daughter as well." Beatrice smiled.

"Of course not! I hope you don't mind that I will be mostly speaking with your son though. I am exceedingly curious about him."

"Excuse me, sir," Harry began.

"You may address me as either Lord Slytherin or Headmaster, young master Christianson. None of this 'sir' business."

"Yes, Headmaster. Um, why did you want to meet me? I'm just a kid." He said, pointing out the obvious.

"You are indeed, young master, but you also have a remarkable talent. How long have you been able to speak with snakes?"

"I just found out this morning, Headmaster."

"I see. Had you ever been around a snake before, child?"

"Not that I know of. But I used to have to do all of the work in my aunt's garden, so maybe."

"To answer your question, I am curious about you. You see, my family is the only one I've known of that produces children who can speak to snakes, known as parselmouths. Where were you born?"

"Headmaster, Harry and Hermione are both from a future timeline." Robert cut in.

"Ahh. That makes sense. I'll tell you what, young master, I would like to make sure you nurture this talent. I would like for you to come to my rooms twice each week, with your parents' permission, for me to personally tutor you. I could have my son tutor you, but I think I would enjoy sharing my knowledge one more time. Do you like to read?"

"Oh yes. Reading is one of my favorite things!" Harry perked up. Now that he was learning that being smart wasn't bad, he was happy to acknowledge his interests.

"Good," the man stood and walked over to his bookshelf, "I want you to read these before we meet again. We should wait until the term has started to begin tutoring. Beatrice, Robert, would you agree to having Harry here join me on Monday and Friday evenings after dinner for tutoring?"

"That would be wonderful, Lord Slytherin. Thank you for taking such an interest. We were planning on asking to hire Sylvan after this meeting. I never dreamed that you would personally teach Harry what you know."

"Well I am a teacher, after all. It is no trouble, he seems to be a willing student. That in and of itself will make him a better student than some I have taught." He laughed lightly.

Meanwhile, Harry was inspecting the books he had been given. Both seemed to be children's books written in what must be parseltongue. _How the Snake Got Stuck_ read one, and _The Fisherman and the Thief_ read another. He eagerly opened the first book and began reading. _Jack, a rather thoughtless boy, went to the rich enclosed fishing area…_

The morning of the sorting finally arrived, causing nervous jitters between the twins. They knew they had to be sorted, but what if they hated their houses? What if they didn't make any friends? When they made it into the Great Hall for breakfast on the first day of term, they saw, for the first time, all of the professors, the headmasters, and the headmistresses sitting at the long table along with all of the students of the school. There were at least 150 students seated at the house tables, each wearing a patch on their robes denoting their placement. Across their backs were a series of silver stars, ranging from one to nine to display their year of schooling.

Suddenly, an auburn haired man in crimson robes stood to address the school, "Well students, we have two new additions to our fine school. I would like to introduce everyone to Harry and Hermione Christianson. They are new to the Wizarding World, so let's try to make them feel comfortable. Now then. We need to decide where you are to stay while here. Which house would be the most appropriate for you? Luckily, we have created the most marvelous hat. It will look into your minds, and tell you where you would fit in the best."

Before the children could sit and place the hat on their heads, a tear opened at the bottom of the hat and spoke, "Don't worry about the houses, no house is better than any other, they just value different things. Slytherins value cunning and ambition. Ravenclaws value knowledge above all else. Hufflepuffs value loyalty to friends. And Gryffindors value bravery and courage. Each has their strengths, but remember, all of these traits are necessary to make a society. So put me on, and I will tell you where you ought to be."

Harry went first. As soon as the hat touched his head, the voice began again, "You are difficult, Mr. Christianson. To have survived what you have has shown true courage, but you also demonstrate remarkable loyalty to your new family. You are quite bright, although you haven't had an opportunity to prove yourself. But yet, I see something more. Yes, your ambition. I can see it here, you wish to be the best, in spite of what you have been taught. So where to put you? I think you'd do best to nurture that ambition, I see that it will serve you well as you grow older. So yes, I think you should be in SLYTHERIN!" The hat declared.

Hermione bravely took the hat from her brother and practically smashed it onto her own head, "What a bright mind you have! You also show great courage to have accepted your new circumstances with a brave face. But I can see that you long for knowledge, and there is only one house that craves the knowledge you seek. I will place you in RAVENCLAW!"


	6. Day 1

Just as Harry was settling into breakfast, Headmaster Slytherin came and handed him his timetable for the rest of the year. Harry took it nervously. What if he did miserably in all of his classes? What if he couldn't make any friends? What if he really was a freak like his so-called family had insisted for years? He was jerked from his musings by his neighbor sticking his hand under Harry's nose. "I'm Aaron," the blonde announced to Harry, "What's your name?"

"I'm Harry. Are you another first year?"

"Yeah, don't worry, it isn't too bad. We learn a ton and the the professors are all relatively nice as long as you don't make them angry. But I've never seen them really angry before, and nothing that resulted in more than an hour of clean-up duty. Come on, we don't want to be late for Transfiguration. I think you'll like it, I mean, you already know the professor." The boy laughed and led Harry through the massive hallways to their first class. Hermione came up behind them talking with a boy from Ravenclaw. The boy had blonde hair and blue eyes and was waving his hands excitedly. Whatever he had been saying was interrupted by the arrival of the professor.

"Welcome back everyone. Before Yule Break we were working on changing a needle into a twig. We're going to continue working on it until everyone can do it effortlessly. Remember to focus on your wand movements, they should be smooth and flow from your arm. Remember what you have learned in Magic Theory. Where does the magic come from? What do you want it to do? Picture in your mind how the twig should look and cast your spell." Beatrice wandered around the room slowly, casually adjusting students' grips on their wands, and assisting them with their incantations. As she made her way around the room, she stopped suddenly behind Harry, "You've done it! Well done, Harry. Five points to Slytherin. Now try to change it back to a needle." Harry beamed up at her, happy to hear the pride in her voice. Hermione, next to him, was not having the same luck.

"I don't understand!" she complained, "I'm doing the same thing as you, but you get it and I don't!"

"You're just thinking too much." Harry told her, "You need to believe you can do it. Close your eyes." The boy instructed, "Now, picture a twig firmly in your mind. Try to forget about anything else. Ok, now say the spell."

"Transmutia!" Hermione said loudly before opening her eyes. There in front of her, sat not a needle but a twig. She had done it! "I did it!" she threw her arms around her brother ignoring the instinctive flinch.

"Excellent!" Beatrice exclaimed when she came around again to see what the commotion was about. "5 points to Ravenclaw." The class continued on like this with gradually more students succeeding until at last, everyone had achieved the appropriate transformation. "Very good, class! We will begin the next transfiguration next class. I want a foot of parchment on the process of changing a needle to a twig now that you know how it is done. Class dismissed."

The group of first years packed their things and made their way to their second class of the day: History.

History, it turned out, was held on the opposite side of the castle, so the group of first years had to walk quickly to be on time. "Professor Trulow is strict about time," Aaron told them as they walked swiftly through the corridors, "If you aren't there on time he locks you out and you have to get notes and homework from somebody that made it." Harry and Hermione shared a look before speeding up further. Fortunately, everybody made it on time today, but for the slower ones in the group it was a close call.

Once the door had banged shut and everyone found their seats, a tall, balding man stood from a desk at the front of the room and walked to a podium where he shuffled through parchments before finally addressing the class. "Welcome back. I'm glad everyone made it as today will be rather in depth with review and then beginning the new materials. As you know, our task for this year is to sort through the ancient histories, particularly those of Greece and Egypt. So far we have made it through two societies. Who would like to remind us of what has been learned thus far?" Two hands went up, both of Ravenclaw house. "Very well. Miss Robertson, what have we studied?"

"So far, sir, we've learned primarily about Ancient Egyptian society and the integration of magic into their mythology. We've also studied the Nubian culture and had just begun the Unknown culture when we left for break." She visibly held her breath until the professor nodded at her.

"Very good. Today we will briefly review what is known about the Unknown culture. Unfortunately, not much is known about it, hence the name. The Unknowns were more closely related to the Greeks than they were to the Egyptians, but their writing mimicked that of the Ancient Egyptians to some extent. Two forms of writing have been found at Unknown settlements on the island of Crete, one that is clearly hieroglyphic and one that is hard to decipher but merely looks like lines arranged to form symbols, though nobody knows what those symbols mean. As they are more closely related to the Greeks, I believe it is safe to say that their mythology mirrors the Greeks'.

"We also know, from the library at Alexandria, that the Unknowns worshiped their own gods in addition to those found in Greece at the time. Scrolls written by travelers describe large palaces and apparent shrines, though they were not to any known God or Goddess. Other scrolls are written in the same language and are currently unable to be read. Even the strongest translation charms only work if you know the basics of a language. Now, I want everybody to write me one foot each on the characteristics of each of the three cultures due to me next week. Dismissed." The man stepped away from the podium and retreated to his desk where he grabbed up another pile of papers and began shuffling through those.

Not having to be told twice, the first years all stood up and exited quickly. "Why do they keep saying 'one foot of parchment'?" Harry asked Aaron on their way to their last class of the morning.

"I forgot, you guys were probably raised as muggles, weren't you?" Aaron replied, "Well, the purpose of the assignments is to create our own books by the end of each year. Those books will be what you study from for the two major tests in this world: the OWLS and the NEWTS. At the end of this year they will teach us the binding spell so we can bind all of our assignments into one book. Then we'll do the same every year until we have a collection of nine books. One foot is the length of a single piece of parchment, as you know. They go easy on us this year from what I've heard. But my brother, he's a fourth year, he says they get three to five foot-long essays regularly. I wish I didn't believe him, but I've seen the books he brings home each year. The first-year book is definitely the thinnest."

Without even noticing it, they'd made it to their Potions classroom and were waiting outside for the door to open. Harry was bouncing in excitement. From what he'd read, potions should be similar to cooking, and he was good at that. As they approached the first floor classroom, the door swung open and a stream of students filed out headed to their next class. "Second years," Aaron whispered in Harry's ear watching them warily. "I'll explain later, but keep your distance." He stepped back to make room for the older kids who were laughing boisterously and pushing each other playfully.

The first years filtered into the classroom where the five Slytherins immediately claimed the front row of seats. Hermione took the seat next to Harry, filling up the row. Conversation halted when the door shut and the professor made his way to the front of the room.

"Welcome students, new and old. We've finished covering the basics of how potions ingredients interact, and now it is time to begin brewing. Young Mr. and Miss Christianson, I will come talk with you privately to get you caught up later. But now, we will learn to make the basic potions bases. You will need to know these, and be able to make them fluently before we can move on to crafting true potions. Each potion requires a base to add ingredients to. Use the wrong base, and it could end up exploding in your face, something I think everyone can agree would be bad." The class laughed, "So let's get started on the first base."

"Now, we're going to start by making a basic healing potion base. For this base you need to have one part unicorn tears, not blood but tears, and two parts water. You want it to simmer softly stirring in clockwise and counterclockwise motions by fives. So five stirs clockwise, five stirs counterclockwise. Everybody following?" a chorus of "yes"es rang out around the room and the professor continued, "You will do this for exactly 13 cycles and then turn off the heat. If you've done it correctly, it should be pearl white with the same shine. It should be just slightly thicker than water, enough to coat the stirring rod but still able to drip off. Understood? Good! Go ahead and pull out those cauldrons and get started. Mr. and Miss Christianson, please come up to my desk."

The children in question smiled at each other nervously. Hermione was already filtering everything she had heard during the lesson into her imaginary filing cabinet so she wouldn't have to stay behind the other students. Harry didn't need such tricks. His mind was a sponge, absorbing information from wherever it came from. They reached the desk together and greeted the professor.

"You're quite a ways behind the other students, but don't worry, we'll get you caught up. I'm going to give you some things to look at tonight that have each of the cuts detailed. Also, instead of the assignment I will be giving to the other students, I want one foot of parchment on the differences between each of the cuts. You can find more information in chapter one of your books. Do you have any questions for me before you begin?" The two shook their heads, took the offered parchments and went back to their seats to begin reading through the materials.  
****

Finally, it was time for lunch. When the students walked in, it was to find the long tables missing from the room and 9 large round tables in their places. "We only use the long tables for special occasions, like sortings. Otherwise we sit at tables like these. It makes it easier to sit with friends." Each table looked big enough to accommodate 20 students and with a total of 19 students in first year, that left the table feeling slightly crowded. "We're now the biggest class Hogwarts has had. Before you two arrived we were tied with the second years for that."

Harry just nodded silently and found a seat at the table between Aaron and Hermione. On Hermione's other side sat a girl introduced as Christina, "Hey, you answered the question in History today, didn't you?"

"Yeah, that was me." She blushed, "I know I shouldn't have answered, I should have let one of the boys answer, but I didn't realize Michael's hand was up until I'd already been called on."

"What do you mean you 'shouldn't have answered'? You obviously knew the answer."

"What she means, Scarhead," sneered a boy across the table wearing the Gryffindor crest, "is that women have no place opening their mouths when men are present. My father says they don't belong in a school at all but this school will accept anyone I suppose." He looked pointedly at the Slytherin on Aaron's other side.

"Oh and you're one to talk Randall," Aaron stepped in, "Just because your parents and grandparents had magic doesn't mean you're better than anyone else at this table. So shut up and let us eat." Here, he pointedly grabbed up his fork and speared a bite of potato.

Harry decided to do the same and soon the entire table was eating in an uncomfortable silence. Finally finished, Aaron leaned around Harry to address Hermione, "Hey, how's your first day going so far? I know we've been in all of the same classes, but I'm always interested in how others are enjoying things."

Hermione smiled at the kind boy, "I've absolutely loved every second of it. Well," she darted a look across the table, "most of it anyway. My parents, my birth parents that is, weren't magical as far as I know."

"Great. Another Mudblood." Randall sighed, "Oh well. Thankfully I just have to suffer through the rest of the year. My father finally agreed to let me transfer to a more refined school for next year."

"I'm glad to hear that, Randall. I don't know that I can survive another 8 years with you." Aaron sneered at him. "Come on Harry, Hermione, it's time for our next class."

"What do we have next?" Hermione questioned him while simultaneously pulling out her timetable.

"Defense. Be ready to be sore. We're probably running the Course today."

"The Course?" Harry asked the other boy.

"It's an obstacle course running through the forest. We have to avoid the magical creatures while climbing and crawling through the trees. He might go easy on you two since you've never done it before, but for the rest of us, well, it'll be a good way of seeing who did their Winter homework. Let's go before we're late."

i) "Miss and Mr. Christianson, please come up front." The professor called out as soon as the students had all taken their seats. Nervously, the two new students stood and approached the tall man. "This is your first class, so I don't expect you to keep up. But I do expect you to try everything the rest of the class does." He told them in a no-nonsense voice. "Go take a seat.

"Class, today we're going to be running drills. I hope you've all kept up with your fitness over break, but I need to see who has and who hasn't. Your goal will be to match or beat your previous times…" As the professor continued talking, Aaron leaned over to speak to Harry.

"See?" he said, "I told you. Lord Jacobson loves making us run the course. Don't worry though, it isn't too bad. And he always lets us leave once we finish, so there's plenty of time to take a shower and get changed unless you're really slow. Oh, but you haven't been to the dorms yet! Well, if there's time, I can show you another place you can take a shower, but you'd have to run the course really fast. It'll probably just have to wait until next class."

As Aaron led them onto the grounds, the two looked around in wonder. They hadn't had much of an opportunity to explore the castle during the break, so this was their first time seeing the snow covered exterior. Everywhere they looked there was something new to see. But as they were approaching the forest, Harry stopped and stared. In front of them stood a unicorn and its foal. The whole class slowed to a stop upon seeing it, and then jumped as one when a black unicorn jumped out at them from the trees.

"Alright everyone, change of plans," the professor called to them, "Headmistress Hufflepuff would have my head if we disturbed the unicorns, so we're going to go inside to work on theory a bit more." Cheerfully, the class turned and headed inside out of the cold. When they'd arrived back in the defense classroom, the professor addressed them again. "Ok, who wants to demonstrate a dueling stance for the rest of the class?" Two hands nervously stuck up into the air. "Alright, Jacob. Come up to the front." The tall Slytherin from lunch strode falteringly to the front of the room and faced his teacher. "Now, show us what you know. How do you stand during a duel?" Jacob turned so just the right side of his body was facing the professor, wand held loose but firmly in his hand, arm bent at the elbow at a perfect 90 degrees. "Very good. I'm impressed. Not many experienced duelers get it so right. 20 points to Slytherin for practicing your work." Jacob sighed and went back to his seat. "No homework this lesson. You are dismissed."

****

The walk to the Magical Theory class was brief; the classes were only two doors apart. Walking in, the two new students were stunned by the setting. Great, beanbag looking chairs were scattered around the room. There were no desks present anywhere in the space. Hesitantly, they both sank down onto a seat, emulating what the others were doing. No sooner had they sat, than the professor walked into the room through a door in the back.

"Hello children! Let's get right to it, shall we? Who can remind us of where magic comes from?"

It comes from our cores." A black haired boy called out.

"Correct! But remember, magic is also all around us. Every living thing has magic, even muggles. What makes us magical is that we can access that magic, whereas muggles have a block preventing them from accessing it. It is for this reason that our potions work for them as well. If they didn't have magic inside of them, the potions shouldn't be able to work. Now can anyone tell us the three fundamental rules of magic?"

"You must believe you can do it. Wands are focuses, not the magic themselves. And magic is everywhere." A young girl, a Gryffindor, responded promptly.

"Correct again! Five points to each of your houses! So tell me, if the wand is merely a focus, can you cast without a wand?"

Hermione timidly raised her hand, "Yes, sir. It should be theoretically possible, but it would be much harder without the focus."

"Very good, Miss Christianson. But please, there is no reason to raise your hand in my class. If you have an idea, feel free to shout it out. And there are no 'sirs' in this room. You can call me Master Thomas." Hermione sighed softly at getting the answer right.

Magic Theory was fascinating, Harry decided. There were so many ideas of how it worked and so few known facts! As the class had progressed, they had reviewed (or in Harry and Hermione's cases learned) about two primary competing theories.

One theory was that magic existed in every being, including the muggles. It stated that nothing could exist without some amount of magic, but the amount of magic used by the individual would fluctuate based on ability to use it. So a muggle would only be able to use enough magic to sustain life, without being able to store enough extra to do anything with it. Squibs, on the other hand, had access to some extra magic, enough to provide them with small abilities (Seeing the future, tuning to nature) but not enough to cast actual spells. This small amount is also what allowed potions to work on them. And then there were wizards. Wizards had the second greatest power reserves, according to this theory. There was only one group above the majority of humans: the mages. Mages were able to not only use their innate magic, but were able to channel magic from around them to do what they wished.

Mages were exceptionally rare anymore, only occurring in 1/100,000 births. But even rarer were mages that realized their true potential. It was possible that there were more mages born, but it was difficult to know the true number because of the high likelihood that the child would never become what they were capable of being, and would remain at "wizard" level.

The second theory discussed was that the only beings with magic were those able to wield it. According to this theory, magic simply appeared one day and people, and animals, began to be born with the ability to use it. The theory claimed that some wizards were simply able to access larger quantities of magic, thus, the mages. What truly fascinated Harry was the idea that both theories had the concept of mages, although the details of what made a mage were different. When they were told they would begin studying another two theories to finish the year, Harry was practically bouncing in his excitement.

****

It was a happy class that made their way to charms, the last class of the day. i) "Welcome, welcome." A short, goblin like man stood at the front of the Charms room as they entered and found seats. "We've got lots to do, and little time to do it. We covered decorating charms last class, and I'm sure you all put them to good use. Now, we will be covering various cleaning charms. Hopefully, this means the house elves will have less work to do, but it most likely just means another thing for you to forget." The class laughed here, forcing the professor to pause, "We will only study these charms for a month, so make sure you keep good notes! After this month, we will pick up with learning other useful charms to know. The more in-depth charms work will be saved for later years. Any questions? Ahh yes, Mr. and Miss Christianson, please come forward. The rest of you, I want you to turn to page 214 in your "Household Charms" text and begin reading."

"Now, you've missed quite a bit in this class, but don't worry, we'll get you caught up. I want you to get notes from a classmate on what we covered at the beginning of the year. You can practice by changing the color of your walls in your dorm, or making the ceiling sparkle, or whatever you want to do. Your rooms, you will find, have been stripped of all of the previous students' work, so you will have a blank canvas when you get there. I will give you two weeks to go over the notes but then I expect a 3-foot essay on what you learned, how you used it, and what you would like to do next. I also suggest copying those notes for your own so when the end of the year comes, you have the information you need for your spellbooks. Now, go back to your seats and we will get started on cleaning charms."

Cleaning charms turned out to be far more numerous than the twins thought they would be. Charms for straightening the bed, cleaning the carpet, washing dishes, laundry, everything you could think of fell into this category. There was even a charm for cleaning grime off a torch holder! Even though the two were dreadfully behind, the nature of the class meant that they were still able to keep up with the lesson. After class, Harry turned to Aaron and explained what the professor had told them. "So do you think I can copy your notes this weekend?" He asked his new friend.

"Sure! But, you'll probably want to do it tonight. The room really kind of stinks until you charm it to what you want. I'll get my notes now before dinner and you can look through them over dinner to find the things you'll want to do right away. I'm betting a few comfort charms may be helpful and you might want a temperature controlling charm as well. It'll probably be freezing in there before you get the charm set up."

"Thanks," Harry sighed in relief, "I don't know what I'd do without you." Shrugging it off, Aaron simply turned and walked away from the direction of the Great Hall, followed by Christina. "Is Christina letting you borrow her notes?" Harry asked his sister.

"Yeah, is Aaron showing you his?" She smiled at his nod. So far, things were going quite well for the pair.


	7. The First Night

**Disclaimer:** I don't own much of this. General rule? If you recognize it, it isn't mine. I'm just taking the characters out to play.

 **Quick A/N:** I don't do many Author's Notes, and this might very well be the only one in this story. Having said that, I felt that it was important to address an apparently common concern. This story takes place ENTIRELY in the past. There is a sequel already planned that will discuss what happens in the original timeline. For those of you who have looked, you'll know this is also stated on my Author's Page. I got this chapter done relatively quickly, but there wasn't much happening, more of a build up. The next chapter should be longer and thus will take longer to publish. Enjoy!

 **Nighttime Wanderings**

Aaron jogged into the Great Hall just minutes after dinner had begun and handed his notes to Harry. "There's some really good charms in there. Comfort charms, decoration charms, and even charms to make things lighter or smaller so they're easier to move. I'd recommend focusing on the charms for comfort for tonight though. You can go through the rest this weekend."

Harry looked across the table and saw Christina handing her notes to Hermione. Judging by the look on his sister's face, she'd be reading all of the notes tonight. And Christina seemed to have taken more notes than Aaron, though not by much. "Thank you," Harry told Aaron, "I think I'll do that." He reached for the serving platter in the middle of the table and put a slice of beef on his plate, following it up with some potatoes.

Harry ate slowly, reading through the list of charms he wanted to perform tonight. He still couldn't get over the idea of magic being real, and that he could do it. After years of being called a freak, it was hard to believe otherwise. 'Hmm' he thought to himself, 'what should I do tonight? Definitely the temperature charm. Is there a charm to make my ceiling like the Great Hall's? I'd like to be able to wake up with the sun. There it is! Ok, so temperature, ceiling, and of course one to make my bed more comfortable. Softer maybe? I'll have to test out the bed to see if I want it softer or harder.'

He continued making his mental list until the dishes were cleared from the table. Looking at Aaron expectantly, he stood from his seat and followed the other boy from the room.

Harry followed his new friend toward the dungeons where they stopped in front of a snake tapestry. "Ater Rosa" Aaron told the wall, revealing a doorway through which he led Harry. The door led to a large room filled with desks. "Right," Aaron said, "our rooms are on the fifth floor of the tower. Each of us has our own room and we have a common area in the middle of the rooms. Our rooms won't change from year to year, unlike other houses. That means that any charms you do will stay put until the end of our 9th year, unless you take them down."

"Our tower is the shortest," he continued "but that's only because it starts in the dungeon level. If you need to speak to Headmaster Slytherin, his rooms are also in the dungeons, at the end of the hall. I don't recommend wandering too far down here though, it's pretty easy to get lost, and it's hard to find people."

"4th year and above tutor students three days per week in this room," he gestured to the desks, "the days rotate by grade, so there's almost always tutoring available after dinner. Tonight it's the 5th and 8th year students. First years are expected to be in bed by 9 pm, but once we get to 3rd year it starts getting later. Do you want to get started on those charms or work on the assignments?"

"I think I'd rather get started on the charms work. I'm pretty tired, and want a comfy bed to fall into." Harry laughed.

"Fair enough. There's 5 rooms connected to the common room. One room per person in first year. I checked when I came up earlier and your room has been added already. The house elves are really good about working quickly." Aaron led Harry up the stairs to the fifth level, "Your room is marked with your name, but you also, for some reason, have a snake carved into your door. Everyone else's doors are plain."

"I have a feeling I know why. I bet headmaster Slytherin requested it. He knows I can speak to snake."

"Really? That's great! That's a really rare gift, you should be proud of it!"

"I'm still getting used to it, but it is nice to be able to talk about it. My first family…well, they didn't like me being 'different'. I can only imagine how they would have reacted if they'd known."

"Well, the good news is that you aren't with them anymore. You're here. And you have a new family. Now, let's go see about getting your room set up." Aaron led him over to the correct room and opened the door. "As you can see, it definitely needs some work. Personally, I thought the beds were awful. I think that's on purpose to make sure we learn the spells. And the blankets do nothing to keep out the cold. I learned that last semester."

Harry consulted the notes in his hand. 'I think I'll start with the bed,' he thought to himself. He moved over to the bed and laid down. 'Too hard. Definitely too hard.' "Ok," he said to Aaron, "I think I need to fix this bed. If I need help, I'll come get you." Harry got out of the bed and found the page of notes that dealt with the charms for the bed. Pointing his wand at the bed, he incanted, "demissiore". Seeing the bed light up in a halo of blue light, he moved to lay on it once more. "Much better," he sighed. "Now, temperature."

By the time Harry was done for the night, his room was a very pleasant place. With the temperature permanently set to 24 degrees, and a ceiling mimicking the Great Hall, he was able to comfortably sink into the wonderfully soft bed. When Aaron came over an hour later, he whistled in appreciation. "You did all of this in an hour?"

"Yeah, I think it turned out well, don't you?"

"Yeah, I'll say. You got the temperature charm perfect, and I love what you did with the ceiling. But you realize that charm was theoretical only?"

"It was? Why?" Harry frowned.

"Because it's a difficult spell, that's why. It takes a ton of power to successfully do that charm. I've heard of upper years doing that charm, but for a first year to do it? It's practically unheard of! Just wait until the professor hears about this! He'll be ecstatic." Aaron rambled, "Well, I was just coming to let you know that curfew is in a few minutes. I'll see you in the morning?"

"Yeah, ok. See you then." Harry smiled and shut the door behind his friend. 'Well. I don't understand what he meant by the charm being too powerful, but it sure looks nice in here now.'

Harry lay in bed, trying desperately to fall asleep. But sleep just wasn't happening. He turned over again, but in spite of how comfortable the bed was, he couldn't force his mind to stop. He needed to walk around, to do something, but he couldn't because of the curfew. He looked at the time. 10:04. He'd been laying here for over an hour. "Ok. Enough of this." he spoke to the empty room. Putting on shoes, he crawled out of bed and went quietly to the door.

Harry crept silently down the stairs, and looked around the main room with the desks. Empty desks. 'Perfect' he thought to himself. He quietly made his way across the room to the main entrance and stepped into the hall. Once there, he turned towards the exit and walked along the walls, making sure to stick to the shadows in case he ran across any other students or teachers. Not sure where he wanted to go, he was only slightly surprised to find himself in front of his parents' apartment. Unsurprisingly, it was locked.

Harry decided not to chance waking them up. Instead, he wandered off in another direction, stumbling across an empty hallway. Deciding to explore a bit, he ventured down the hallway. Looking down the hallway, he saw a window with a man standing in front of it. He crept closer, to see if he could look inside the window without the man seeing him.

"Interesting, isn't it?" The man spoke, "I assume it's well past your curfew by the way you're trying to hide in the shadows. You can come closer, it must be hard to see from back there." The figure conjured a stepstool for the boy to stand on. Harry moved forward eagerly, desperate to see what was happening on the other side of the window. What he saw, should have made him cringe, but it drew him even closer to the pane of glass. Blood. Etched in spiraling designs of strange shapes all around the room, and freely bleeding from the figure in the center of the room. A knife, hovering in the air, was slowly carving more shapes into the older student's arms now. "It's fascinating isn't it? It's blood magic. You're a first year," the man looked down briefly, "but you'll be seeing more of this soon enough if you're interested. Fifth year will come soon enough, just you wait and see. In the mean time, if you are interested, I recommend some research to get you started. And pay attention in Runes class. It's vital to any success you may have in this field. Now, go on. Here is a pass to go to the library," he pulled out a piece of paper from his robes, "This is good for one hour, and then you will need to return to your rooms." The man turned and stalked away.

Harry couldn't believe his luck. A whole hour to himself in the library! Oh, the things he could look up without others looking over his shoulder. He scrambled to go to where he knew the library was. 'Blood magic. I wonder what that is.' Harry thought to himself, 'it certainly looked painful. But the boy in the room wasn't even flinching, so maybe it doesn't hurt so bad? It can't be worse than what I got at the Dursley's.' He'd stopped thinking of them as family. They were just three muggles he happened to have known. The broken bones nothing but a painful past. He had a family now. And he would do whatever it took to keep them.

Without realizing it, he'd made it to the library doors. The doors were open, and lights were still on as the older students had no curfew. Harry made his way over to the giant catalogue book his parents had shown them and tapped it with his wand twice, whispering 'blood magic' to it. Instantly, a stack of three books appeared next to him. The catalog would only retrieve books that were appropriate for the student's grade level, so these were mostly informational books.

The top book, _Light Versus Dark: The True Difference_ , caught his eye. He immediately placed that book to the side to look at later. The other two books looked interesting, but only one of them really sounded like something he wanted to read. _Blood Magic: The History and Theory Behind the Art_ went on top of the other book. He tapped his wand against the third book twice and it disappeared back onto the shelves.

Tapping the catalogue again, Harry this time whispered "Charms" to it, watching another stack appear, this one much larger than the first. He looked through the stack of books and selected two that seemed like they would be useful. One was on something called "warding", though he wasn't sure what that meant. But looking through the table of contents, it sounded like it might be interesting. Topics such as _Protecting Your Room_ and _Hiding Your Things_ made him stack it, along with one strictly on hexes, on top of the blood magic books. Casting one of the only spells he knew, _tempus_ , he looked at the time. He had 15 minutes left before his pass expired.

Harry tapped his wand against the stack of books he didn't want and they all vanished just like before. Finally, Harry activated the register one final time and a collection of books on runes appeared before him. Of the ten books provided, Harry selected three and returned the rest just as his pass was getting ready to expire.

Harry carried the large stack of books to the front of the library to check them out and saw a sign explaining the process. "Simply tap the book three times," it read, "and state your name. You will have three weeks to return them before they are returned automatically." 'Easy enough.' Harry thought. Worst case scenario, he didn't make it through the books before the deadline and they were sent back to the library for him. Best case, he finished them all and would be able to return them on time. He was hoping for the second option.


End file.
